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Monday, April 20, 2015

Sight words are vital to unlocking reading for many students but finding fun ways to introduce them and to give students a chance to practice them can be challenging.

I usually introduce one new sight word a day. We then spend the day trying to spot the word when we are flipping through books or when Mme is reading or when we are walking around the school. Once we have a good collection of words under our belts we can start playing some games with them.

Whole Class Games:

Quiz, quiz trade:

Students each get one sight word. They partner up and show each other the word. Once they have read the word they trade and move on to a new partner.

Stand-up:

As we practice our word I will pick a "magic" word, letter or sound. When they hear it they stand-up. When the word is gone they sit back down.

Act it out:

When we read action words, students have fun acting out the word.

Silent Word/Sound:

When we read through the list students are told they can not read a certain word, or word containing a sound or letter.

Small Group Games:

Lots of different ways to play this game but this is one of my favorite versions. You can use popsicle sticks or cards. I get my students to fold a piece of paper in half, and then in half again. They unfold the paper and the creases make a border for their cards. They then put a word in each rectangle and the word boom on 1 of the rectangles. they cut them up and play with a partner. Great writing and reading practice.

Board Games:

There are a few games that you can use to reinforce sight words online. Here are a few in french that my students like. These are great for sending home for practice too.

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So what did I learn at school today? Sight word learning and practice doesn't have to be repetitive and boring. With a little creativity there are a ton of ways to play with words. What are your favorite sight word games?